Part 20 (2/2)

But the other shook his head with a dissentient grunt.

”One blow of that heavy stick in thy belt, and that head will fly to pieces like a pumpkin rolling down a hill. Or why not cut that white throat and see the red blood flow? _Au_! The red blood, flowing over a white skin--a skin as white as milk--and the red of the blood--ah--ah!

It will be acceptable to Umlimo, that blood. See, Nanzicele, thou hast a knife that is sharp. The red blood will flow as it did from the throat of the wife of thy captain in the hut but two nights ago.”

Again the tall barbarian grunted dissent.

”I like not this killing of women, Umtwana 'Mlimo,” he answered. ”This woman has never harmed me. I will not kill her.”

”What about Nompiza?” said the small demon, with his head on one side.

”_Au_! thou didst laugh when she splashed into the water-hole in the moonlight.”

”She did harm me, in that she scorned and mocked me. Yet, I liked not that deed either, s.h.i.+minya.”

”Yonder dogs, shall we call them and set them on to devour this white witch?” went on the sorcerer. ”They are hungry, and she is defenceless.

We shall laugh at her face of terror when they attack her on all sides, and then, when they rend her limb from limb--they shall eat white meat for once. _Au_! It will be a sacrifice pleasing to Umlimo.”

”I never heard of a sacrifice pleasing to Umlimo, or any other Great Great One, that was offered through a dog's maw, s.h.i.+minya,” cried the other, with a great jeer; for too much a.s.sociation had somewhat sapped Nanzicele's respect for the redoubted magician. The latter, conscious of having made a slip, went on.

”Nompiza scorned thee when thou wouldst take her to wife, Nanzicele.

Thou art large and strong, but thou hast no cattle, son of Fondosi, therefore thou hast no wives. Here is one who comes straight to thee.

She is white, it is true, yet take her.”

Of all these atrocious suggestions Nidia, standing there, was of course blissfully ignorant. The sun was declining, and she was inwardly growing somewhat impatient. Would they never have finished their _indaba_? Was it, perhaps, her look of absolute unconsciousness, her very helplessness, that appealed to some spark of manliness within the heart of that rough savage, as he replied?

”No, no. I want not such. They are _tagati_, these white women. The Amakiwa are the wisest people in the world, yet they treat such women as these as though they were G.o.ds. I have seen it--yes, I, myself. Look, too, at this woman. She is not afraid. There is a power behind her, and I will not offer her violence.”

Then the abominable wizard deemed it time to throw his trump card.

”Where is she going? To Sik.u.mbutana,” he said, lapsing into a professional oracularism. ”To whom is she going? To Jonemi. Nanzicele was a chief in the _Amapolise_, but he is not now. Why not? Ask Jonemi. This woman knows Jonemi--belongs to him, it may be; perhaps his sister--perhaps his wife. Jonemi was in our power, but he escaped from us. This woman is in our power; shall we let her go?”

This recapitulation of his wrongs and appeal to his vengeful feelings was not entirely without effect upon Nanzicele. He hated John Ames, whom he regarded, and rightly, as the main instrument of his own degradation. He had only spared him, in the ma.s.sacre of Inglefield's hut, for a worse fate, intending to convey him to s.h.i.+minya's _muti_ kraal, and put him to death in the most atrocious form that the fiendish brain of the wizard could devise. Then they had all become drunk, and John Ames had escaped, and for all the trace he had left behind him might just as well have disappeared into empty air. And now, here, ready to his hand, was a scheme of vengeance upon the man he hated.

Turning his head, he looked intently at Nidia. But the aspect of her, standing there calm and fearless--fearless because entirely ignorant of what had happened at Sik.u.mbutana, and still regarding this man, rough as he had shown himself, as her protector by reason of his Police uniform-- appealed to the superst.i.tious nature of the savage. He felt that it was even as he had said. There was a power behind her.

”I will not harm her, s.h.i.+minya,” he growled. ”_Au_! I am sick of all this killing of women. It will bring ill chance upon us. They ought to have been shown a broad road out of the country.”

”To show a broader road to more whites to come into it by? Thy words are not words of sense, Nanzicele. Have it as thou wilt, however,” said the crafty wizard, who knew when to humour the savage and stubborn temperament of his confederate. ”We will take care of her this night-- ah--ah! in the only safe and secure place”--with a sinister chuckle.

”Be it so. I will not have her harmed, s.h.i.+minya,” declared the other.

”It may be we shall yet obtain large reward for delivering her back to her own people in safety.”

”Will the reward be of lead or of raw-hide?” said the sorcerer, pleasantly. ”And who will give it when there are no more whites in the land?”

”No more whites in the land? That will be never,” returned Nanzicele, with a great laugh. ”That is a good tale for the people, Umtwana 'Mlimo. But for thee and for me--_au_! we know. When Makiwa sets his foot in any land, that foot is never taken up. It never has been, and never will be.”

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